Meghan Markle confirms major new TV role after The Gentlemen rumours shut down

| Senior Film & Entertainment Reporter Published October 27, 2026 10:32am Updated October 27, 2026 10:39am Meghan is returning to television screens (Picture: Annabel Lee-Ellis/Press Association) Meghan Markle has officially been announced as a host for the upcoming series of Junior MasterChef Australia, marking her next major role on TV. The Duchess of Sussex, who previously hosted two seasons of lifestyle and cooking show With Love, Meghan on Netflix, said she ‘can’t wait’ to return to the programme after featuring as a guest judge on MasterChef Australia this summer. ‘I had an incredible time with the whole team at MasterChef this past April, so when they approached me to come back and work with this young group of talent, it was an easy yes,’ she said in a statement. ‘I love cooking with my own kids, so seeing what these young stars create in the kitchen is going to be a lot of fun. ‘I can’t wait to see what they cook up.’ Meghan’s return to Australian TV was announced by Paramount Australia on Tuesday, with this season of the show set to air next year on Network Ten. The Duchess of Sussex has been announced as the new host of Junior MasterChef Australia after a guest judge spot on the adult competition (Picture: Ten) She will host alongside Australian chef and TV presenter Poh Ling Yeow. Meghan, 45, appeared as a guest judge on the 18th season of MasterChef Australia, where contestants were challenged to transform a staple ingredient into a dish ‘fit for a duchess’. Paramount said her appearance drew the programme’s largest Sunday audience since 2023. A statement from the company added: ‘With Poh’s culinary expertise and Meghan’s enthusiasm for cooking and nurturing young talent, Junior MasterChef Australia promises to serve up plenty of inspiration as the next generation of Australian cooks steps into the kitchen.’ Meghan is set to be based Down Under for the duration of filming, which is likely to take place in early to mid-2027 in Melbourne, Australian outlet News.com.au said. Meghan said she was looking forward to having ‘a lot of fun’ with the contestants (Picture: PA) She has previously hosted her own cooking and lifestyle show on Netflix, With Love, Meghan (Picture: Jake Rosenberg/Netflix) And she may even be visited by her husband Harry, the Duke of Sussex, and their children Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five – who all recently made a surprise move to the UK from Montecito, California – though no decision has yet been made, an insider told the publication. It comes after the former Suits star was reported to be in ‘advanced talks’ for Guy Ritchie drama The Gentleman and a future third season just ahead of its season two debut. Ultimately, it is understood that discussions fell through after immense public scrutiny over the potential gig, with friends of Meghan later claiming the rumours were purposefully leaked and ‘used’ to bolster the show. But sources close to the Netflix production then pushed back. ‘This is not a show in need of stunt casting,’ an insider told The Times. Earlier this month, a source told The Telegraph that Meghan is ‘reading a lot of scripts’, and will focus on her family, lifestyle brand and rebooting her acting career rather than pseudo-royal visits. The former Suits actress was previously reported to be in talks to join The Gentlemen (Picture: Reuters) They added that if Meghan had time left, she would do ‘some charity work’, emphasising that ‘she’s not a working royal’ but a full-time mother and entrepreneur. Meghan’s new gig on Junior MasterChef Australia comes after a turbulent few days, following her half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr, alleging to The Sun that he found child sex abuse images belonging to their father at his former home in the Philippines and reported it to local police and the FBI. Thomas Markle Sr has admitted to paying for sex in the east Asian country, but denies abuse allegations. The Sun on Sunday has since reported that Meghan wrote a final letter to her father, telling him she ‘knows he is an abuser’ and that he would never meet his two grandchildren. Deals of the Day See London's Christmas lights from an open-top double-decker bus this winter My skin always suffers when the heating goes on but this serum changed that The skincare formula that finally took the guesswork out of my routine Families can save up to 20% on summer 2027 holidays in Club Med's four-day sale Cold mornings are coming and this is the dressing gown I want to live in The publication wrote that Mr Markle Sr received the letter in December 2025, while he was in hospital in the Philippines after having his leg amputated. 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